“Hello?” a deep burly voice called out.
I walked out of the small broom closet they’d stuck me in and headed for the sound of his voice. As I turned the corner, I stopped short. The dude was huge. At least six-foot-seven and three hundred pounds of hard muscle. The straw cowboy hat cocked back on his head showed that he was completely bald.
“You Cage York?” he asked. His serious expression reminded me a lot of Coach but that was as far as the similarities went. Coach was not this f**king massive.
“Yeah,” I replied and the man’s eyes narrowed and he took a step towards me. It took every last bit of my self-control not to back the hell up.
“Boy, your Daddy ever tell you it’s rude not to respect your elders? I expect any kid your age to respond to me with a ‘yes sir’. That understood?”
Really? What the hell was Coach thinking? This would never work.
“When I ask you a question I expect a response,” the giant growled.
Fine. I’d give him a f**king response, “No.”
His frown grew deeper and annoyance flickered in his eyes. I had a lot riding on this damn job but I wasn’t one to handle this kind of shit well.
“No, what?” he asked in a slow drawl.
“No; my daddy didn’t teach me anything but that his f**king fists were bigger than my momma’s and how to skip out on your family,” I replied with a sneer in my voice.
The angry scowl on his face didn’t change. I hadn’t expected it to but then I also hadn’t expected to tell the man my personal shit. It had just come out. My family was something I’d only ever talked about with Low and that had been when we were younger and it still affected me.
I watched as he reached up and rubbed the scuff on his jaw, never once taking his eyes off me. I was ready for this meeting to get over with and him to tell me what it was I was supposed to do exactly.
“Mack wants to help you. I trust his judgment. But listen here and listen good. I ain’t above kicking your ass off my property if you do any drugs, or drive a vehicle while drinking. That was stupid, kid. Beyond stupid. And most importantly, stay away from my little girl. She’s completely off limits to you. Got that?”
Considering Eva hated me on sight, the man had nothing to worry about. Besides, no girl was worth f**king up my future. Not when there were so many other willing available females in the world I could enjoy.
“Got it. I don’t want to lose my scholarship,” I replied with complete honesty.
With a nod of his head he stuck his large hand out toward me, “In that case, I’m Wilson Brooks. Now, let’s get your ass to work.”
Eva
“Boy ain’t got no Dad. Those are the kinds you stay away from,” Daddy said in way of greeting as he opened the screen door and walked into the kitchen. I rolled my eyes as I went back to battering the chicken br**sts I was going to fry for dinner.
“I mean it Eva. He ain’t had the same upbringing you have and he’s cocky with no respect for authority. Just rubs me the wrong way.” Daddy set his hat down on the table and walked over to fix himself a glass of sweet iced tea.
“I wasn’t impressed by him. Stop preaching at me. I’m not on the hunt for a man.” I’d never date again. I had Jeremy and until he met a girl and fell in love, I would have a companion to do things with. The familiar pang in my chest reminded me that I held him back from a life. I hated that he put everything else aside to take care of me. He was always so worried about me. I knew for a fact Chelsea Jacobson had a crush on him. I really needed to do something to push him in her direction.
“Hmph,” Daddy mumbled as he sat down at the end of the kitchen table. “I know you aren’t looking for a guy Eva girl but honey, you’re a woman. One day you’re going to have to open your heart again.”
“Daddy, don’t please. I just want to fry this chicken, make your favorite blueberry cobbler, and enjoy dinner. Let’s not talk about anything else. Okay?”
With a deep sigh, Daddy finally nodded. He reached for his hat and placed it back on his bald head. “It’s times like this I think I made a mistake not marrying again. Maybe you did need a Momma after all. Because right now I don’t know what to do to fix this for you, baby girl.”
I laid the last piece of battered chicken on the plate and washed my hands under the faucet. Then took an extra-long time scrubbing my fingers with the soap before turning to look at my dad. “You were enough. You are enough. Don’t say that anymore. I’m happy just the way things are. I don’t need someone to fill Josh’s place in my life. I don’t want someone to fill his place. Okay?”
Daddy closed the distance between us and gave me a quick hard hug before turning and leaving the kitchen through the same door he’d entered. I knew my disinterest in dating other guys and moving on bothered him but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. Josh had been my future. Now he was gone.
The door swung back open behind me. I wasn’t expecting Jeremy tonight for dinner but I’d made enough just in case.
It wasn’t Jeremy. It was him.
Cage held up his hands as if to say he came in peace. The easy smile from earlier was gone. He wasn’t looking at me like he wanted to take a bite either. Instead, he looked disinterested.
“I just need a drink. Your dad sent me in here and said to ask you. But I can see you’re busy so if you’d point me to the glasses I’ll get my own water.”